THE BEST OF GREEN DESIGN: At the site of Denvers old Stapleton Airport, a new community is challenging the notion that development has to be wasteful.

When Stapleton Airport closed in 1995, Denver had an unprecedented opportunity that some feared it would fumble: to develop 7.5 square miles of land mere minutes from downtown. In public meetings the citizenry spoke up, and Forest City Enterprises, the company that won rights to the parcel, got the message. "The public wanted mixed use. They wanted to integrate this island into the surrounding neighborhoods," says Forest City spokesman Tom Gleason. "That meant homes with porches in front and garages in the alley, giving people the opportunity to get to know each other."

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The resulting master plan draws heavily on the principles of New Urbanism, a design philosophy emphasizing neighborhoods clustered within walking distance of shopping, schools and workplaces. Begun in 2001 and roughly one-third complete, Stapleton is expected to house 30,000 residents when the last home is built in 2016. An esti-mated 1100 acres of parks and greenways and 13 miles of bike paths will provide space for recreation. Already, express buses deliver residents to downtown and the new international airport, and Denver's expanding light rail system will include at least one stop at Stapleton.

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To promote a diversity of housing styles, Forest City divvied up the project among 18 builders. New homes at Stapleton must meet Energy Star standards, meaning they are at least 30 percent more efficient than a typical Colorado home. Forest City has partnered with four builders, including McStain Neighborhoods, to go even further. These homes will conform to the U.S. Green Building Council's stringent LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) requirements for energy use and green building design.

Ernie Diller and his wife, B.J., have lived in Stapleton since April 2006, and already notice a difference in utility bills. "The furnace is hardly ever on," he says. But to the Dillers, low bills are really just gravy. "We walk the half mile to our shopping area, and say hello to people sitting on their porches," he says. "It's nice."

Jeff Medanich, manager of building sciences at McStain Neighborhoods, believes home construction should consider not only the materials used, but how the whole development functions -- an approach reflected at Stapleton. (Photograph by Brad Hunt)